Thanksgiving

Even though we're no longer in school, Rebecca and I still get to take a similar style break for the holiday season. Since Samford shuts down and my business is in its seasonal slow, we got to take several days off.

My aunt and uncle from Minnesota were in town with my grandparents. They all came to Birmingham on Wednesday. So we had our family meal with them that evening. Rebecca and I then headed to Starkville to see her Dad's side of the family.

This was my 9th trip back to Starkville since we left at the end of July. This was my first time ever though to be in Starkville over Thanksgiving. The city was the calmest I've ever seen it with all the students and a lot of residents out of town for the Holiday. I went on my 'long' run before the actual half marathon next weekend. I did 12.5 miles in just under two hours. So I should be able to meet my goal of two hours for the actual race. We stayed at Mammie's house. Rebecca's parents were also there that first night. Thanksgiving day the rest of the family came to town. We had a great meal and I think I was the only one who went back for seconds. Maybe because I ran so much that morning. Soon after we ate it got very quiet as everyone found a corner to lie down and nap. That's one of my favorite parts of the holiday. A full stomach with nothing to do but relax. After everyone began to stir we decided to go to campus and take some family photos. The weather was still unusually warm that day so I'm in shorts. That evening everyone except Mammie, Rebecca, and me headed home. It was good to get some time with Mammie without all the action of the big crowd.

Friday was Mammie's birthday so we took her to Old Venice for lunch. When we got back they took a nap. Rebecca got in one of her 3 hours specials. I called up my friend Matthew so I would have someone to watch the Iron Bowl with. What and up and down heart break. Mammie had some extra tickets to MSU's basketball game so Rebecca and I went for the first half. Good to get to see the a little of the basketball team. Although I'd be surprised if we do very well in SEC play.

Our evening activity and reason for the extended stay was the MSU Egg Ball. The family we did the Bat Mitzvah for back in June asked up if we would shoot the event. Being a charity fund raiser they couldn't pay us, but it gives up the opportunity to sell the photos online and make a lot of good contacts. The event was to raise money for Kids Count. They had a live and silent auction, a band, and dancing. It took place on the club level of Davis Wade Stadium. It lasted four hours and we took a lot of pictures. It was a nice change from a wedding since we weren't in charge of anything and could just document the events of the evening. Hopefully we will get some orders. Even if we don't make a lot of money off the event, we were going to be in Starkville anyways for Thanksgiving and we got to spend some extra time with Mammie.

We headed out on Saturday around 1. We helped put up some of Mammie's Christmas decorations before we left. She had laid awake a good portion of the night with a fibulation in her heart. So she was thrilled when she saw her decorations up. It was a great trip and lots of fun with family. Rebecca was able to catch up on her rest and get away from editing for a while.  We are so fortunate to have such wonderful families that not only get along, but enjoy being with each other.

Old Times

I'm going to back track a little. We had our first overnight visitors this past weekend. David and Emily came to spend a jam packed weekend with us.

As soon as they got here on Friday, we headed to Samford for a volleyball game. Rebecca had to shoot the final home game of the season. It was David's first volleyball game to see in person. The girls lost unfortunately. We then headed to Jim and Nick's. This has by far been the restaurant we've frequented the most. Partly because its so good, but also because we can walk to it. After stuffing ourselves with cheese biscuits we came back and settled in for the night. We ended up watching our wedding video since it was the only DVD we've unpacked and it was sitting by the TV.

We had to get off to an early start Saturday because Rebecca had to shoot the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championship at Spain Park. We got Panera Bread for breakfast. While their bagels are good, I don't get the "desiring of them" quite like the females in our group. Anyways, it was a beautiful day so I didn't mind going out there. David and Emily got their long run of the week in while we took pictures of people running. Also we got to see Matt, Mom, and Nathan and Ashley Taylor as they came to watch Matt's girlfriend, Loren, run for MSU. She did very well setting a new personal record and the MSU girls came in 5th overall. The Samford girls came in 10th. It lasted til about noon. After lunch and showers we headed to some furniture stores for the Franci to look at bedroom suits. Our evening activity took place at my parents house to watch MSU vs. Alabama, since they have cable. To make us feel like we were at the tailgate we took the TV on the back patio and watched the game as we sat around the fire. I had a blast combining the two settings. However, I did catch lots of flack for my split allegiance between the two teams. It is something I have dealt with since my freshman year and shows its head every November. I know in my mind it should be an easy decision to ditch the Tide for the Dawgs, since I spent 7 years at MSU and met my wife there, but in my heart the struggle is still there. My loving wife did not let my struggles go unnoticed all weekend. My determination to cheer for the Dawgs did not last long as the game got one sided pretty quick. Another year to work out my issue.

Some are cold than others

Rebecca's usual reaction to football.

We continued to put a dent in our bagel supply then headed to church. David Platt spoke on missions and evangelizing and how we are all called as Christians. Not just the gifted and not at some date in the future, but right now. Afterwards we tried a restaurant other than Jim and Nicks. Our final stop was Red Mango for frozen yogurt.

The fun and busy weekend quickly came to a close. It was like old times having them over for the weekend and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Thesis Defense

The thesis was successfully defended, but it took quite a beating. There was very little offense by my side. It started at 1 PM and lasted 2.5 hours. I gave a presentation for 30 or so minutes and then answered questions for the next two hours. There were only a couple of questions I had a definite answer. They were all familiar with the research, so there were no softball questions. All of the rest of the questions were geared to take me down a road to see how much I know. The problem is if I start out incorrectly then they just let me keep going down the wrong path until it becomes obvious my mistakes.

It went by rather quickly and in the end they told me I passed. I didn't really fear not passing, but its still intimidating. I've never heard of anyone not passing and I've never heard of anyone feeling they did really well in their defense. I now have a week to fix all of their final corrections and get it submitted to the library.

A three year saga is about to come to an end and I'm very much ready for it.

Last Day

Today is my last day at MSU. It doesn't feel like a last day because I'm not done with my thesis. So I'll still have to make some return trips for that little project. Nevertheless, today is the last day where I will make the trip to 368 Dorman for an 8-5 shift. I've been coming here since January 2008. Its been a nice transition from full time student to full time employee. Whether or not to pursue grad school was a big debate in my head, and as I approach the end, I'm still glad I have done it for several reasons:

• I've learned a lot
• I've gotten to be with Rebecca
• I have not lost money on the deal
• Lots of great time with friends
• I've gotten to mature before I dive off into a career path

There are certainly things I would go back and change, but I could probably say that about any path I had chosen. I definitely don't think grad school is for everyone, and its not an intelligence thing. Its just an arduous journey with a lot of hoops to jump through. Some career paths its worth it, others not. Just don't do it because you assume it will make your more money in the long run.

Anyways, I didn't intend on getting all sappy on this post. Today got me thinking about other last days I have had at jobs. This is the longest tenure I've ever had at a job, however its probably the most anti-climatic of any of them.

• Chick-fil-a: worked there nearly two years in high school. I quit to make more money at Longscape doing something I enjoyed much more. I don't really remember my last day, however I still crave Chick-fil-a at least once a week.
• Willow Point Country Club: My first internship for my major. It was an eye-opening summer in which I realized I didn't want to work at a golf course. I still learned a tremendous amount about turf on a beautiful course. My internship came to an end and as is customary amongst turf internships, I got thrown into the lake at the end of my last day. 
• Personal Lawn Care: My second internship took place in Memphis, TN with a company I made a connection with during summer missions the year before. I learned a good deal about chemicals, fertilizers, and running a small business. I also had a great time with my gracious hosts the Poschels. Nothing memorable about my last day except a desire to get back to Starkville for a soon to be romantic pursuit.
• Naturescape: This was my third and final internship. This one lasted 7 months in Birmingham. The first half was great, the second half got mundane when I got stuck as the chemical guy after the other guy quit. My last day was much anticipated because previously mentioned romantic pursuit was returning from a month long trip to Peru and we could finally return to Starkville and be in the same city again.
• MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant: My last day has been about like any other, which I prefer. I don't like a lot of big goodbyes with people I don't hang out much to begin with. Its also unwanted because I will be returning as early as next week to get my stuff. So if you have a big goodbye and then see the person a couple days later, its makes it awkward. I prefer the fade method. So I rode my bike to work, ate leftovers in my office for lunch, and did some work on the thesis in between.

Hopefully I won't have another 'last day' for a while.

Geocaching

The Longs and the Franci went geocaching Friday night on Mississippi State's campus. If you don't know what it is, its basically a worldwide scavenger hunt with your GPS as the main source of direction. People hide things, usually small containers with a log book, wherever and then post the coordinates on geocaching.com. The coordinates are usually just a starting point with the info online giving additional hints. Some are very easy and some are rather difficult.

I like it for several reasons.

1. Its free.
2. Its outside.
3. You get some exercise.
4. It lets you explore your corner of the world in ways you wouldn't normally see it.

We found 6 out of 7 and I'm pretty sure the 7th was in a tree that has recently been cut down. It was a nice evening with a full moon. We went to parts of campus I've never been to before and some were in locations I've passed many times and had no idea the geocache was there. 

To get the Franci warmed up we took them to one Rebecca and I had already found almost exactly 3 years ago on one of our dates. The log still had our record of finding it so we took a picture with it.

Drill Field Frisbee Golf

This past weekend our friends Big Dave and Sara got married. We took pictures for them at rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and as side photographers during the reception. I think we got some pretty good shots. They should be up in a couple of weeks.

Anyways, after dinner Dave invited a bunch of guys to the drill field to play a frisbee golf course that has been passed down through several classes of students. I hadn't played it in a while so it was good to get a refresher and let some other people in on it so it can continue being passed down. The last time I played I broke one of the globes on a lamp post. So I also needed to get that out of my system. There is a disc golf course on campus, however I don't own a disc golf set and that course doesn't have the character of the created one on the drill field

I wanted to write down the course so I could remember it through the years. There are variations on the course, but this is what I remember.

Hole 1
Tee: Circle of bricks surrounding bust of Stephen D. Lee
Target: Sign for McCool Hall

Hole 2
Tee: Sidewalk in front of McCool Hall
Target: Bottom left pane of glass on the main entrance to Carpenter Hall

Hole 3
Tee: Concrete ledge next to front stairs on Carpenter Hall
Target: Lamppost on curved portion of sidewalk between Swalm Hall and McCool Hall

Hole 4
Tee: Curved sidewalk next to lamppost
Target: Sign for Allen Hall

Hole 5
Tee: Even with or behind Allen Hall sign
Target: Metal plaque to the left of main entrance doors to Allen Hall.

Hole 6
Tee: Second rug from the left on Allen Hall entrance
Target: Front side of stop sign at intersection of Creelman St. and President's Circle

Hole 7
Tee: Sidewalk next to stop sign
Target: Front side of Allen Hall sign.
Stipulation: Frisbee must pass through one set of columns of side entrance to McCool Hall

Hole 8
Tee: Curved sidewalk leading into Swalm Hall that branches off sidewalk in between Eternal Flame and Sonny Montgomery statue.
Target: Library drop-off box to the left side of entrance doors
Warnings: Watch out for the globe lights. They're very fragile

Hole 9
Tee: Stay behind line of bricks in sidewalk heading north.
Target: Top colored portion of two toned fire hydrant in between Library and Carpenter Hal

Hole 10
Tee: Circle of bricks surrounding lamppost next to fire hydrant.
Target: Hour glass portion lamppost at the end of the sidewalk that passes in between Carpenter Hall and Library

Hole 11
Tee: Circle of bricks surrounding lamppost
Target: Pass the frisbee through arm rest of bench to the left of entrance to Bowen Hall

Hole 12
Tee: Beginning of sidewalk in between Etheredge and Carpenter Halls.
Target: Trunk of Oak Tree at the entrance to Drill Field

Hole 13
Tee: Circle of bricks surrounding lamppost next to oak tree
Target: Pass the frisbee through the hole of the 'A' looking statue
Note: Feel free to make jokes about a certain way to phrase the target

Hole 14
Tee: Next to statue
Target: Garbage can next to Drill Field entrance of Union. Frisbee must hit can while in the air.

Hole 15
Tee: Sidewalk next to garbage can
Target: Bottom left pane of glass on entrance to second level of YMCA building.

Hole 16
Tee: Concrete ledge next to stairs of YMCA building
Target: Trash can on patio of Union.
Stipulation: Frisbee must touch concrete ledge while teeing off

Hole 17
Tee: Behind small brick wall next to garbage can
Target: Side entrance door to sun room of State Fountain Bakery

Hole 18
Tee: Area right in front of doorway
Target: Sign for Cafeteria (This may no longer be there)

Hole 19
Tee: Grass next to sign
Target: Lamppost in between McCool Hall and Union.

Hole 20
Tee: Sidewalk next to lamppost
Target: Top steps to Swalm Hall
Stipulation: Frisbee must cover one of the lights in the concrete on top of stairs.

Hole 21
Tee: Top of stairs of Swalm Hall
Target: Flagpole

Hole 22
Tee: Brick ledge surrounding flagpole
Target: Bust of Stephen D. Lee

Blowing in the Wind - A Prelude to 'Wasteful Wednesday'

I haven't had a ranting post yet and really don't want it to become the theme of this blog. Rather, I occasionally have observations about how the powers at be do things and it sometimes frustrates me. So, as a way to voice my grievances I will use this rarely viewed blog. Seems efficient enough. I shall try to limit these things to once a week and will call it 'Wasteful Wednesday' (until I come up with a cooler name). Since this is the first of its nature it is exempt from actually occurring on a Wednesday.

As a conservative, I get quite frustrated with government waste. After all it is the taxpayers money they are wasting and since I pay taxes, it is my money too. If private companies want to waste their money, then go right ahead. Since they are required to actually make a profit, waste is usually hard to come by in the private sector. Government on the other hand, does not have to make a profit and we don't have a choice when it come to giving them our money. And it seems they are constantly wanting more and more.

So the point of these 'Wasteful Wednesday' entries will be to point out government waste (hopefully with a picture) and illustrate how if they weren't so wasteful they wouldn't need more money. (Conspiracy theorists may argue they are intentionally wasteful so they can take more of our money and thus rule over us completely since they would own everything.)

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Mississippi State University and wouldn't trade it for anything. However, in my 7 years there have been a couple consistent negative threads.

1. Losing football seasons.
2. Increases in tuition.

Football has at least shown some promise, but I don't see them lowering tuition anytime soon. Tuition increases are justified as a way to cover increased university costs. One big expense and one we are consistently encouraged to do our part to lessen, is energy expenses. Lights have been turned off, thermostats regulated, and a team formed to combat wasting energy.

In my limited energy knowledge I know that lights are mere peanuts when compared with heating and cooling costs. Those are greatly influenced my how well a building is insulated. This brings us (finally, I know) to our first example of 'Wasteful Wednesday' (I already hate that title).

In my little corner of campus (Dorman Hall) I am greeted by a shot of cool or hot air, depending on the season, when I come to the building. At everyone of the 5 main level entrances to Dorman Hall there is about a half to one inch gap between the double doors.

I would suspect turning off every light in the building would be comparable to the amount of energy lost 24 hours a day through these 5 sets of doors.  I believe this poor design was a result of a recent redesign to add keycard access to every door. I don't know why that would prevent installing doors that actually touch.

I know its a small point, but just a thought I had as I enter and leave this building everyday.

Fortunately, during the winter you won't need to get inside to warm your hands, just hold them up to energy 'Blowing in the wind.'